The event, held on the occasion of the 77th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and Vietnam's 32nd People’s Defence Festival Day (December 22), was attended by Vyacheslav Kalganov, Vice-Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg; Colonel Alexei Skreblyukov, President of the St. Petersburg chapter of the Inter-regional Public Organisation of Veterans of the Vietnam War (MOOVVV), and a large number of Russian war veterans who served in Vietnam.
Vietnamese participants included Colonel Tran Tien Phuong, Vietnam's Defence Attaché in Russia, and representatives of Vietnamese officers and Vietnamese students studying in St. Petergsburg and the Vietnamese community in the city.
Addressing the event, Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Russian-Vietnamese Cooperation Development Fund "Tradition and Friendship" expressed gratitude towards Russian military experts who rendered services in Vietnam during the war, worked alongside the Vietnam People’s Army and Vietnamese people to overcome difficulties, making great contributions to the Russia-Vietnam relations.
Colonel Phuong said that during the recent visit to Russia, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang held a meeting with former Soviet Union military experts and thanked Russian people, including Russian veterans, for supporting Vietnam during the past struggle for national independence and reunification.
Colonel Phuong showed delight at the growing defence partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
Russian veterans highlighted the loyal friendship of Vietnamese people, affirming that they will continue to work for stronger ties between the two countries.
At the event, Anatoly Chernov and his daughter Anatoly Chernov who designed the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in St. Petersburg, briefed participants on the design of the 5.25m-high statue, which features the late leader sitting with a book on his hand.
The construction of the statue is scheduled to be submitted to the city for approval on December 22, and completed in 2023 on the occasion the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s first arrival in Russia.
